10 Worst Golden State Warriors of the Last Decade

It’s no secret that the Golden State Warriors have had their fair share of draft busts and failed signings over the past decade. As embarrassing as it is to admit, forgettable players run through the Dubs faster than shots of whiskey through Don Nelson. 

Ranking these undesirables one through 10 was no easy feat, but I believe my formula has all the necessary considerations. In compiling this list, I have taken into account these factors: boom for buck, fan base feelings and general basketball ability.

So, without further ado, here are the worst Warriors of the past decade. 

Dishonorable Mentions

Ike Diogu (2005-07)                     

He may have been a wasted lottery pick, but he was the main reason Larry Bird shipped Stephen Jackson to the Bay Area.

Devean George (2009-10)

Injuries or not, his short-lived placement in the starting lineup was the low point of Golden State’s season.

Andris Biedrens (2004-2011)                

What has happened to the double-double machine from years past? Rick Barry needs to teach this guy how to shoot an underhanded free throw. 

Calbert Cheaney (2003-2006)     

Unless he was open on the baseline, Calbert was completely useless.  

Nick Van Exel (2003-2004)

Nick the Quick did not live up to his nickname on the Dubs, stealing months worth of starts from an emerging Speedy Claxton.

10. Dean Oliver (2001-2003)

Before stumbling upon fan favorite Earl Boykins, Warriors fans had to level with this god-awful point guard backing up Gilbert Arenas.

Whenever Dean-O graced the court with his inept dribbling and flat jump shot, an already anemic Golden State offense would come to a screeching halt. 

9. Vladimir Radmanovic (2009-2011)

Vladimir Radmanovic has no redeeming qualities. I suppose he can make the occasional standstill three without leaving the hardwood, but calling that a good thing is a stretch.

There aren’t many NBA players that have been criticized more than Radmanovic for their style of play. He camps out around the arc, rebounds horribly for his size and moves in slow motion on defense.

Has Vlad-Rad been worse for the Warriors than he has been for any other team he’s played for besides the Sonics? Nope. But does he still deserve to be on this list? Absolutely.

8. Jiri Welsch (2002-2003)

In the same draft where the Warriors got stuck with Mike Dunleavy, Golden State felt the need to trade two future draft picks to acquire this versatile Czech prospect.

He was versatile all right, but not in a good way. He couldn’t play defense, cut to the basket or shoot for a high percentage. After a year of garbage time, he was shipped to Dallas with Antawn Jamison and two others. 

7. Patrick O’Bryant (2006-2008)

The Warriors have had plenty of big man draft busts through the years, but Patrick O-Bryant might have contributed the least to the team out of any of them.

After an impressive NCAA tournament with Bradley, the Warriors deemed him lottery worthy and took him ninth overall. Despite his high selection, Don Nelson was quick to put the raw center on blast, saying he hadn’t improved one bit after a stint with Golden State's D-League affiliate. 

Guess what? Nelson was completely right. In fact, O'Bryant might have gotten even worse. After only 40 total on-court cameos, the big man ended his time with the Dubs.

6. Mike Montgomery (2004-2006)

After a surprising release of Eric Musselman, Golden State brought in the long-standing Stanford hoops guru to right the ship in Oakland. Instead, he tied an anchor to the Warriors and buried them like a sunken wreck.

On top of making asinine personnel decisions on a game-by-game basis, Montgomery quickly lost the respect of his team’s best player when Baron Davis went rogue. Soon, other Warriors began to follow in Baron's footsteps.

His teams weren’t exactly packed with talent, but back-to-back finishes at the bottom of the Pacific Division was an epic letdown. Two failed season in and Monty, toupee and all, was exiled. 

5. Brandan Wright (2007-2011)

When they acquired this promising Tar Heel, fans felt like the Dubs couldn’t go wrong with B-Wright. Think again.

In four injury-plagued seasons with the Warriors, Wright played in less than 100 games. To make matters worse, he showed enough promise in his sophomore season to merit two more years of paid vacation time.

Injury issues aside, fans will always hold a grudge against Wright for something completely out of his hands—the fact that his addition came at the expense of Jason Richardson.

Could J-Rich have pushed the Warriors over the hump and into the playoffs for a second straight year? We'll never know. 

4. Adonal Foyle (1997-2007)

It pains me to put Foyle on this list with all the great work he’s done in the community. That being said, his inclusion is justified after dooming the Dubs at center for an entire decade.

Adonal was always a hard worker, but his hustle never contributed to big, check that, above-average numbers. Excelling at blocks and blocks alone, Foyle managed to negotiate a jaw-dropping six-year, $42 million contract long after every fan had given up on him. I guess the Warriors front office never caught on.

Add in the fact that he was worse than Shaq at free throws, and you have a recipe for disaster. 

3. Al Harrington (2007-2009)

Harrington had a great second half with the Warriors after joining the team through trade, but being pulled from the starting five in Golden State's unprecedented playoff run started a downward spiral for Big Al.

Following a full season in the doghouse for launching one-too-many threes, he began making trade demands on the eve of the 2009-2010 season. He even held himself out of games with an exaggerated back injury. 

Though Don Nelson has always been known for having volatile relationships with certain players, Dubs fans were quick to turn on Harrington, and for good reason. Who among us would support an out-of-shape, two-faced crybaby? 

2. Mike Dunleavy (2002-2007)

With Yao Ming and Jay Williams plucked off the draft board, the Warriors were stuck with a difficult decision at No. 3, and elected to roll the dice on Mike Dunleavy. Big mistake.

After duping the Dubs into a five-year, $44 million contract extension with flashes of brilliance, Dunleavy promptly lost his starting job and self-confidence to boot. The frail forward entered a shooting slump that he never truly recovered from, and was eventually sent packing. 

I don’t know what fans hate more about Dunleavy—his soft play and bricked threes while with the team, or the fact that he turned it around to put together several impressive years with the Pacers.

On the plus side, Dunleavy’s bum knees with likely diminish the rest of his career. Watch those charges Mikey boy.  

1. Derek Fisher (2004-2006)

Warriors fans already hated him because he played for the division rival Lakers, and, to put it simply, because he was Derek Fisher. No one likes a flopper with a goofy purple headband.   

Unfortunately, the Golden State faithful were forced to accept D-Fish after the team overpaid him to the tune of a six-year, $37 million contract.

In almost no time, Fisher showed the Warriors what most of us already knew—he was not a true point guard and he certainly was not a playmaker. Less than half a season in and the failed replacement to Gilbert Arenas had lost his place in the starting lineup.

Only a year removed from leaving the team in 2006, Fisher forever entrenched himself in the mind of Dubs fans as public enemy number one. Playing opposite the Warriors for the Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals, Fisher nailed a dagger three to stun Golden State in Game 2, effectively ending their magical playoff run. 

Playing for and against the Warriors, the past ten years of Warriors basketball sports no one worse than Derek Fisher.